Page:The World's Famous Orations Volume 9.djvu/224

 THE WORLD»S FAMOUS ORATIONS judicial tribunals of their country; rights older than the Constitution j rights which are planted upon the immutable principles of natural jus- tice; rights which have been affirmed by the good and the wise of all countries, and of all centuries. We demand no power to injure any man. We demand no right to injure our con- federate States. We demand no right to interfere with their institutions, either by word or deed. We have no right to disturb their peace, their tranquillity, their security. We have de- manded of them simply, solely — ^nothing else — to give us equality, security and tranquillity. Give us these, and peace restores itself. Refuse them, and take what you can get. What do the rebels demand? First, *'that the people of the United States shall have an equal right to emigrate and settle in the present or any future acquired Territories, with whatever property they may possess (including slaves), and be securely protected in its peaceable enjoy- ment until such Territory may be admitted as a State into the Union, with or without slavery, as she may determine, on an equality with all existing States." That is our Territorial de- mand. We have fought for this Territory when blood was its price. We have paid for it when gold was its price. We have not proposed to exclude you, tho you have contributed very little of blood or money. I refer especially to New England. We demand only to go into those Territories upon terms of equality with 214